How do you use sumac berries?
Ground, dried sumac berries taste great as a spice rub for lamb, fish and chicken. These berries are also used as a salad topping, and you can include them in your favorite dressings. Middle Eastern chefs use sumac as a topping for fattoush salad, and are often sprinkled on hummus to add both color and a zesty flavor.
Are sumac trees poisonous?
All parts of a poison sumac plant are poisonous and the oils remain active even after the plant dies. Symptoms of a poison sumac rash appear 8–48 hours after exposure and can last for weeks. Some people are more sensitive to the plants and will have harsher symptoms.
What are sumac berries good for?
People dry and powder these berries for use as an herbal medicine or culinary spice. Sumac is rich in a variety of nutrients and antioxidant compounds. Early research suggests it may be beneficial for blood sugar control and relief of exercise-induced muscle pain.
How can you tell poison sumac from edible sumac?
The most obvious difference is that poison sumac has white berries, not red berries. The red fruits are a distinctive characteristic of Rhus plants such as staghorn sumac. Poison sumac berries are flattish, waxy and grow separately, while the red berries of staghorn sumac are fused together.
What do sumac berries taste like?
Made from the dried and ground berries of the wild sumac flower, sumac is a tangy spice with a sour, acidic flavor reminiscent of lemon juice.
Are staghorn sumac trees poisonous?
Another native plant that people love to hate is the staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina). Yes, there is poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix), which will definitely cause a rash that is worse than poison ivy (poison sumac is found only in swamps). But staghorn sumac is not poisonous.
What part of the sumac plant is edible?
red berries
The most commonly eaten parts of sumac plants are the ripe red berries. These acidic and tart berries can be eaten raw or dried, though they’re most popularly used in the form of a berry tea or sumac-ade. Sumac-ade is best when sweetened with maple sugar and can be served hot or cold (Moerman 1998: 471-473).
How do you make sumac berry tea?
Making sumac tea
- Pick several clusters of berries for use.
- Soak the berry clusters in a pitcher of cold water over night or longer to enhance the flavor.
- Next, strain the tea through a coffee filter or cheese cloth to remove the berries and particles from the fruit so all you are left with is the tea.
- Enjoy!
Is sumac like poison ivy?
Poison sumac Unlike poison ivy and poison oak, its leaves grow on stems with groups of 7 to 13 leaves that appear as pairs. Poison sumac leaves are reddish green. The plant also grows small, whitish-green hanging berries. There’s an almost identical sumac with red, upright berries that’s harmless.